Issues
 Communications surveillance
 Travel surveillance
 Identity documents
 Terrorist watch lists
 Migration and border controls
 Security cooperation
 Financial surveillance

News

Reports

Key Players

About the project

CICTE

The Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism

The Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (or CICTE) is a specialist committee of the OAS which met for the first time in 1999. The creation of the Committee was the result of discussions in 1998 and finally an endorsing General Assembly Resolution in 1999, which established the CICTE.

Resolution for Strengthening Co-operation to Prevent, Combat and Eliminate Terrorism

Shortly after the terrorist attacks in America on September 11 th 2001, the foreign ministers of the member states assembled in Washington for an urgent meeting of Consultation of Ministers. It was agreed that member states would "take effective measures to deny terrorist groups the ability to operate within their territories". Increased co-operation in the areas of extradition, mutual legal assistance and information were amongst these measures as included in the Resolution for Strengthening Co-operation to Prevent, Combat and Eliminate Terrorism. The Resolution also directed the OAS Permanent Council to 'convoke, as soon as possible, a meeting of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism so that it may identify urgent actions aimed at strengthening inter-American cooperation to prevent, combat, and eliminate terrorism in the Hemisphere'. This led to an increase in the intensity of activities of CICTE.

The CICTE maintains ongoing programmes focusing on various aspects relating to terrorism. These are: Cyber Security, Port Security, Airport Security, Legislation against Terrorism, Customs and Border Protection, Terrorist Financing and Terrorism Policy Engagement Exercises. Each programme involves support and technical assistance to the relevant officials/departments situated in each of the member states in applying international standards and implementing OAS proposals.

CICTE On-Line Anti-terrorism Database

During 2002, the CICTE designed and arranged the CICTE Online Anti-Terrorism Database. The database contains examples of national legislation, treaties and conventions relating to terrorism. The objectives of the database are set out in the Commitment of Mar del Plata and in brief are to:

• enhance the exchange of information via the competent national authorities;
• formulate proposals to assist member states in drafting counterterrorism legislation;
• compile the bilateral, sub-regional, regional and multilateral treaties and agreements signed by member states and promote universal adherence to international counterterrorism conventions.

Fifth Regular Session of the CICTE -- February 2005, Port of Spain

Each session of the CICTE is moulded by the respective year's work plan, reports of the activities of the CICTE Secretariat, and resolutions from other related meetings and the annual meeting is marked by a declaration. The Work Plans especially illustrate the intended activities of the Committee. (Only the Fourth and the Fifth Regular Session Reports are accessible on-line.)

Declaration of the Port of Spain on Strengthening Cooperation on Strategies to Sustain and Fight the Hemispheric Fight against Terrorism

This Declaration called for:

• The urgent need to adopt measures in accordance with national laws and international instruments in force to strengthen regional and international co-operation and the exchange of information with the aim of locating, capturing and prosecuting the sponsors, organisers and perpetrators of terrorist acts;
• Commitment to identifying and fighting emerging terrorist threats regardless of origin and motivation;
• Commitment to 'support the "Comprehensive Inter-American Strategy to Combat Threats to Cyber Security: A multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach to creating a culture of Cyber Security". In particular, establishment or identification of national "alert and watch and warning" groups, also known as Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), thereby promoting an inter-American watch and warning network to rapidly disseminate cyber security information to report and recover from crises, incidents and threats to computer security'.

Work Plan of the CICTE 5th Regular Session

The work plan (full text) is divided into several sections, each dealing with a separate issue and consisting of proposed activities for the year. Hhowever, several extracted proposals are mentioned below.

• Border Control Measures. Member states should achieve:
  • establishment of early warning and intelligence sharing systems to monitor and prevent the movements of terrorism;
  • improved vigilance and control at and between all points of entry;
  • linked migration database system that will help improve border security;
  • improvement of the quality of national identification and travel documents to meet minimum international security standards;
• Measures to prevent, control and penalise money laundering and financing terrorism. Member states should:
  • try to extend mandatory control systems for banking entities in each country to non-banking financial institutions and other economic activities;
  • create standards that authorise the lifting of bank, exchange and tax confidentiality to enable national oversight;
  • ratify and adopt international conventions that enforce judicial co-operation instruments, particularly facilitating extradition for the offence of terrorist financing;
  • facilitate information sharing;
  • adopt regulations aimed at promoting co-operation and information exchange between the public and private sector;
  • promote the adoption of inter-institutional agreements that allow for the flow of information among different administrative and control entities.
• Transportation and Cyber Security. Member states should:
  • aim to meet ICAO standards;
  • observe newly emerging standards on security of travel documents;
  • establish national "alert, watch and warning" groups, known as "Computer Security Incident Response Teams" (CSIRTs).
  • plan to develop a hemispheric watch and warning network to report imminent cyber attacks and intrusions.
• Program Activities of the Member States and CICTE Secretariat:
  • The CICTE has created an inter-American data exchange network based on specialised encrypted software for use by competent authorities and experts. Member States need to consider ways to use this network for information exchange related to counter terrorism.

Biometrics Sharing Media Note

The CICTE 'news page' on its website includes a media note from the U.S. Department of State concerning a $1.6 million donation from the US to OAS for its counter-terrorism efforts. The press release ( accessible here ) briefly outlines the content of the 2005 Fifth Regular Session of the CICTE. Much of the content outlined in the media note is accessible in the list of documents available on the CICTE web page, except for one issue. The US office of the Spokesman states that "biometrics sharing" was discussed at the Fifth Regular Session although there is no mention of this issue in any of the documents released. The only singular CICTE reference to biometrics is contained in the work plan in the context of document security, namely that " emerging requirements for biometric identifiers and enhanced security of travel documents require development of targeted technical assistance projects ". There is no mention of any discussion of 'biometric sharing'.

Fourth Regular Session of the CICTE -- January 2004, Montevideo

Declaration of Montevideo. This declaration affirms the member states' commitment to:

• the urgent need to adopt measures in accordance with national laws and international instruments in force to strengthen regional and international co-operation and the exchange of information;
• the need for private sector co-operation to facilitate the resolution of terrorist and related crime that involve the use of global communications networks;
• their readiness to extend to one another the broadest and swiftest mutual legal assistance in accordance with multi-lateral and bi-lateral agreements;
• importance of co-ordinating and intensifying OAS and member states' efforts, including the provision of technical assistance, where appropriate and feasible, to facilitate compliance with the ICAO standards and practices;
• the need to collaborate with one another to enhance to enhance the channels of communications and intensify the exchange of information among the competent authorities to facilitate the secure and rapid flow of information.

Work Plan of the CICTE 4th Regular Session

The full text can be accessed here. The Work Plan's proposals included:

• Border Control Measures. Member states shall:
  • develop mechanisms for co-ordination and collaboration by border security and control authorities to facilitate the flow of information that will allow for identification and detention of any person in respect of whom there are serious reasons for considering she/he has committed a terrorist offence;
  • establish early warning and intelligence sharing systems;
  • co-operate on developing linked migration databases;
  • achieve minimum international security standards for national identification and travel documents.
• Measures to Prevent, Control and Penalise Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism. Member states should:
1. define the crime of the financing of terrorism in accordance with the provisions of existing international instruments;
2. encourage non-profit and charitable organisations to adopt the FATF voluntary guidelines on best practices in the administration of charities;
3. facilitate information sharing, states should establish which direct communication mechanisms among authorities nationally, bilaterally and internationally;
4. promote co-operation and information sharing between public and private sector;
5. create FIUs;
6. develop hemispheric watch and warning network to report imminent cyber attacks and intrusions;
• Program Activities of the CICTE Secretariat and the Member States
• creation of the inter-American data exchange network.
• development of a directory of competencies or a directory of "specialised knowledge" containing information regarding terrorist prevention. The information will be forwarded to the CICTE Secretariat for inclusion in the appropriate databases and for distribution to the other member states. The information will be divided into the following categories:
  • financial controls
  • border controls
  • domestic legislation
  • law enforcement
  • emerging threats
  • illicit arms trafficking control
  • drug trafficking control
  • biological/chemical weapons
  • port security
  • airport security

Presentation: Framework for establishing an Inter-American Watch & Warning Network

This presentaion was given by Ambassador Margarita Escobar, Chair of the Working Group of the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security of the OAS, during the Third Plenary Session, advocating the creation of a watch and warning network in the field of cyber security.

The purpose of the watch and warning network is to "develop a hemispheric 24 hour per day, 7 day per week network of national points of contact among Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) with national responsibility (national CSIRTs) in OAS member states capable of and charged with appropriately and rapidly responding to cyber security related crises, incidents and threats."

The presentation (accessible here) discusses various issues that affect the watch and warning network, namely trust, financing and public awareness.

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